In the Catbird Seat/Joe Kirkish

Proud Yoopers and Trolls

June 21, 2012

We in the U.P. look on the people below the Big Mac as Trolls, while they call us Yoopers. The banter persists despite that Yoopers once fled Yooperland and flocked in droves for work during WWII, married Trolls and remained there.

Our synergistic connection with them is still strong. One good reason is the mix and a patriotic connection with the entire nation. And we find many ways to celebrate being Americans - Memorial Day and 4th of July, along with proud local celebrations (bridge, pasty, etc.).

So it was no surprise to find a posting from a Motor City Troll letting us know they haven't forgotten our combined contribution to patriotic pride. Here's what was posted:

- Secretary of State Dean Rusk was in France in the early '60s when de Gaulle decided to pull out of NATO. He wanted all of us foreign military out of France as soon as possible. Rusk responded, "Does that include servicemen who are buried here?" The general did not respond.

- When in England, at a fairly large political conference, Colin Powell was asked by the attending Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of our nation's "empire building"? Powell replied, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. Unlike many other 'world powers,' the only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return." The archbishop was silenced.

- There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break one of the Italian engineers came back into the room, asking, "Have you heard of the latest dumb stunt of president? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intend to do, bomb them?" A Boeing engineer stood up, saying quietly, "Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they also have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day. And they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day and can also carry half a dozen helicopters for transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have 11 such ships over there. How many does Italy have?

- A U.S. Navy admiral was attending a conference that included admirals from the US, England, Canada, Australia and France. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks, but a French admiral complained suddenly that, "Whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. Why is it that we always have to speak English at these conferences rather than, say, French?" Without hesitation, the American Admiral replied, "Maybe it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so that you wouldn't have to speak German."

- Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by commercial plane. At French customs, it took him a few minutes to locate his passport among his belongings. The customs officer asked sarcastically, "Have you come here before, m'sieur?" Whiting nodded. "Then you should know enough to have your passport ready." Whiting said, "But the last time I was here I didn't have to show it." "Impossible!" snapped the officer. Americans always have to show their passports on arrival in France." The senior gentleman gently explained, "Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate your country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to."